Sylvania



Jan. 22, 1924,

L. W. HDSTETTLER' JOURNAL Box COVER Fild March 29 fun FIL-1.a-

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Patented Jan. 22, i924.

SYLVANIA.

JURhl'AIL-Bfiil COVER.

Application filed March 29, 3.9522. Serial No. 547,707.

To all whom t may concern."

Beit known that l, Linen W. l-losrnrrnnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tarentum, in the county of ilillegheny and the Starte of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful invention in Journaldiox Covers, of which the following is a speciiication.

The invention relates to journal boxes and more particularly to lids or covers therefor.

Heretofore, in the manufacture of journal box lids, it has been customary to secure the spring which `maintains the lid in either open or closed position to the lid by inea-ns of rivets.

lt has been observed that when springs are secured to the lid or cover members in this manner, the rivet apertures, necessarily formed therein, materially wealren the springs at the very point where the critical bending action occurs. The result has been that when the springs are so attached to the cover members they` often became'brolren,

which has necessitated frequent replace ments and the consequent expense.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a journal box lid or cover provided with a spring adapted to resiliently maintain the cover in either open or closed position, that is"so attached to the body portion of the cover that the stresses set up therein by the flexing thereof will be distributed through a portion of the spring remotefrom its point of attachment to the cover rather than localizinp,V adjacent thereto, as heretofore.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a journal box cover constructed from pressed metal and having a channel formed therein adapted to extend over the edges of the journal box to provide an effective closure there-for to exclude dust and moisture from the interior thereof.

A `further object of the invention is to provide a device, of the character described, that may be quickly and easily constructed from sheet metal and so reinforced as to be very strong and rugged and at the same time of considerably less weight and less expensive to manufacture than the cast metal covers, heretofore, generally employed.

With such objects in view, as well as other advantages which may be incident to the utilization of the improvements, the, invention consists in the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding` that the several necessary elements constituting the same may be varied in proportion and ar`- rangement without departing` from the nature and scope of the invention.

lin order to render the invention more clearly understood, means are shown in the accompanying drawings for carrying the same into practical effect, Without limiting,- the improvements, in their useful applications, to the particular constructions, which, for the purpose of explanation, are made the subject of illustration.

ln the accompanying` drawings:

Figure l is a front elevational view of a journal. box lid constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line llf-lll of Fig. 1 and illustrating the channel portion of the lid in engagement with the edges of a journal box.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view talren on line lilllili of Fig. l and showing` more in detail, the construction of the spring retaining strap.

Figure 4. is a horizontal sectional view italien on line llilill of Fig. l and illustratingr, more in detail, the construction of the cover.

Referring to the drawings, a portion of a journal box is shown as comprising side walls l and top and bottom. walls 2. One side of the journal box is open as indicated at to provide for access to the interior thereof. A. cover, indicated as a whole at 4:, forms a closure for the open side of the jour nal box and is provided with a plurality of hinge join eyes 5 adjacent to the upper edge thereof, which are pivotally mounted upon a hinpe pin ear G formed on the upper wall l of the journal box by means of a hinge pin i'.

, The eyes 5 of the cover are provided with ear portions 8 which are adapted to be bent over the ends of the pin 7 to prevent the displacement thereof, as shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial lilo. 425,637.

'.lhe edges of the cover Ll are bent, in a direction transverse to the plane of the body portion thereof, to form a ange 9 extendu ing around the perimeter ot the cover. The body portion ot the cover 4 is further provided with depressions 1l) and with a relatirol)v long; narrow depression 11 extendingr substantially parallel with and adjacent to the lower edge ot the cover. Vlie dep-ressions 10 and 1.1 are adapted to extend partially withinthe opening 3 ot the journal box when the cover is in closed position and co-operate with the flange 9 to form a channel 12 which extends substantially around the cover and which engages the edges of the side and top walls l and 2 ot 'the journal box.

By this construction, the cover is stitfened and reinforced by the flanges 9 and the depressions 10 and 11 and a very close tit is obtained between the cover and the journal box to etfectually exclude dust and moisture .troni the interior thereof.

A spring V13 is secured to the body portion of the cover, between the depressions 10, by

vmeans ofv a rivet 14 and is adapted to exert yieldable pressure against the eye 6, formed on the journal box, to maintain the cover 4 in an open or closed position in a well known manner. A strap 15, of substantially U-shapais secured to the cover 4 and straddles the spring 13 ata point slightly above the location where the rivet 14 secures the spring to the cover.

this construction. the strap 15 forms a tulcrum for the spring 13 to bend upon whereby the critical bending action of thev 1 rivet as the strap 15 prevents any tendency ot the spring to move in a. lateral direction.

From the foregoing it will be readily appreciated that a very rugged and relatively incrqiensivejournal box cover is provided thatis of much less weight than the cast ironV covers now ,frenerallyV employed and one in which the expense incurred through `the replacementoiE broken springs is materially reduced.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A. journal box lid comprising a. body portion, a `spring attached thereto tor cooperation with s'. journal box to selectively maintain said lid in open and closed positions with respect thereto, and means for relieving said spring of strain adjacent to its point of attachment to said body portion causedy by the flexing of saidspringr Q. A journal box lid comprising a body portion, a. spring` attached thereto tor cooperation with said journal box to selectively maintain said lid in open and closed positions with respect thereto, and means extendiun` transversely across said spring adapted to relieve the same ot strain adjacent to its point ot attachment to said body portion, incidental to the flexingr of said spring.

A journal box lid comprisingr a body portion, a spring: attached thereto for cooperation with said journal box to selectively maintain said lid in open and closed positions with respect thereto, and means extending transversely across said springr between its point of attachment to said cover and t-he free end of said sprint,r to provide a tulcrum upon which said spring,y is adapted to be bent to relieve said spring, adjacent to its point of attachment, ot strain occasioned by the flexing of said spring.

4. A journal box lid comprising a. body portionl` a spring attached thereto for cooperation with said journal box to selectively maintain said lid in open and closed positions with respect thereto, and a strap mounted on said body portion and f .xtr.uirliiini transversely across said spring adapted to provide a bending,r fulcrum therefor to rclieve said spring of strain occasioned by the flexing oli said spring.

5. A journal box lid comprising a body portion, a spring); attached thereto for cooperation with said journal box to selectively maintain said lid in open and closed positions with respect thereto and means for preventing the localization o'f strain upon said spring adjacent to its points ot attachment to said body portion.

6. A journal box cover comprising a bodyportion having a channel extending around the same and adjacent to the edges thereof and adapted to engage .the edfrcs of a journal box, a spring` attached to said body portion and adapted to co-operatc with said journal box to resiliently maintain said cover and channel in engagement with the edges thereoi' to effect a substantially dust and moisture proof closure tor said box, and means for preventing the localization ot strain in said spring; adjacent to its point ot attachment to said cover.

7. A, journal box cover crnnprising a body portion provided with a flange extendingr around the periphery thereof, a plurality of depressions adjacent thereto and co-operating therewith to form a. continuous channel extending around the outer edge ot said body portion adapted to engage the edges of a journal box to ellect a, substantially dust and moisture proof closure therefor. a spring attached to said cover for co-operation with said journal box to resilientlv maintain said channel in engagement with the edges thereof and a strap secured to said body portion and extending transversely across said spring between its fixed end and the free end thereof and adapted to consti tute a, fulerum upon which said spring is adapted to be bent to prevent the localiza* tion of strain adj ecent to its point of attaehment to said cover when said spring is exed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 10 LEIGH W. HOSTETTLER. 

